Wolves
by Insane. Certifiably
Summary: A bit of the Twilight realm stuck to Zelda after Midna left, and now she has more in common with the Hero of Twilight than anyone ever counted on. Post TP Zelink.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This has been cluttering up my files for a while, and I thought it was about time it saw the light of day. I've already written up the second chapter, and the third is being worked on.  
**

**Disclaimer: It's my birthday, does that mean I get the rights to Legend of Zelda?**

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I was passing by the courtyard when I heard voices. Curiously, I peered around the corner to see what was going on. Three maids, two holding brooms and the other with a bucket of water; were standing at a distance from a dark lump of fur that was huddled under a tree. I immediately recognized Link and surmised that he'd changed to wolf form to escape all the attention that had bestowed upon him since he'd saved Hyrule. I didn't blame him for wanting to escape, there were times when I wanted to be able to do so as well.

While I was musing, Link shifted and suddenly one of the maids shrieked. "That's a wolf! There's a wolf in the castle!"

Link was up on his paws, facing the maids, before the last word was out of her mouth. The two holding brooms brandished them at him, one landing a thwack on his head. Link looked around desperately. He didn't want to hurt them, but he didn't want to reveal that he could change into a wolf either.

The maid with the bucket threw the water at him. Link growled and lowered himself, preparing to lunge.

"What are you doing?" I called across the courtyard, hurrying over.

"Stay back, Your Highness," one of them warned, "he might be dangerous."

I pushed my way past them to Link's side. His posture instantly relaxed, his hackles went down and he stopped growling. I patted his head and turned to face the now flabbergasted maids.

"He's mine," it took me a moment to realize that my voice had said those words, but I didn't let it show and continued on, "and he's not dangerous."

The maids' faces instantly changed to apologetic looks. "We're sorry, Your Highness, we didn't know," the one with the bucket said.

"What's his name?" One holding a broom asked.

My mind raced quickly through choices, settling on the first one that sounded promising, "Tharros," I answered.

"That's a nice name," the last one commented, "but why isn't he wearing a collar?"

Again, I thought quickly, "I haven't had time yet, I was about to go get him one."

Before they could ask any more questions, I set off across the courtyard. Halfway across I realized Link wasn't following. "Tharros!" I called.

Link seemed to suddenly remember that he was supposed to be my dog and trotted up to me, tail waving slowly. He gave me a doggy grin, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. I sighed, he was just too cute when he did that, and patted his head again before continuing on my previous course. This time, Link followed.

As soon as we rounded a corner and he was sure there was no one around, he changed back to human form.

"Thanks for that" he said, fixing his brilliant blue eyes on mine, "I thought they were going to kill me with a broom, a broom! I've faced more monsters than I can count, and three maids with brooms nearly get to me."

I narrowly restrained a giggle at his stunned look. "You're welcome," I said, "however, if you'll excuse me, I have a council meeting to attend."

He nodded and walked off, muttering something about visiting Epona.

I smiled mischievously as I watched him go, "don't thank me yet, Hero," I whispered to myself, "I have to get you a collar."

The council meeting went by relatively smoothly, and I decided to pay the smith a visit. The sound of ringing hammers accompanied by a blast of heat greeted me as I stepped inside. Saron, the goron smith, looked up as I entered, and then went back to his work. I leaned against the wall and watched him work. Saron was making a shield. He hammered the metal flat with smooth swings, lifted it, and dunked it in a bucket to cool. Once the shield was cooling, he turned to me.

"Hello, Princess," he said, a huge smile spreading across his features, "what brings you here today?"

I smiled back, I couldn't help but do so, Saron's smiles are infectious. "I need a dog tag," I told him and went on to describe how I wanted it to look.

Once I was done, Saron nodded and set about making it. Less than ten minutes later, I thanked him and headed out with the finished product. It was a small oval tag, about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide with a loop of wire fixed through a hole in one end. The Royal Family crest was engraved on one side and the word "Tharros" on the other.

Another quick stop and I had a green dog collar, all ready for "Tharros". Now I needed to find him.

I finally found him in the west tower, leaning against the wall with his eyes shut. I walked up and plopped down next to him.

"Rough day?" I asked.

He made a noise of assent.

"I need you to turn into a wolf for a minute," I said.

"Why?" he asked without opening his eyes.

"Because if you're going to run around the castle as a wolf and you don't want to get hit by brooms, then you need to wear this." I pulled out the collar.

Link opened one eye to see what I was holding. Immediately both eyes shot open. "No way," he protested, "I am not going to wear a collar."

"It will only be in wolf form," I pleaded, "I told the maids I was getting you a collar and it will look suspicious otherwise."

He sighed. "Alright, Zelda, but you owe me for this," he sighed. Suddenly, a glint entered his blue eyes. "If I'm yours, then I have to follow you around all day," he said mischievously.

I sighed, "If that's what it takes to make you wear it."

He grinned and transformed. The large dark wolf raised his head and I carefully fastened the collar around his neck. He shook himself, then stood and tried to lick my face. I pushed him away, laughing because it tickled when he did that and stood. Link wagged his tail, gazing up at me with those unchanged brilliant blue eyes.

I rubbed the soft fur behind his ears, and then started down the stairs. "Come on, Hero, we've got documents to sign."

Link accompanied me for the rest of the day while I attended meetings and signed documents. The time of Twilight had left Hyrule with scars that, while healing, would linger for a time.

The reactions to Tharros were varied. The council objected at first to having a wolf in the meeting room, but Link looked at them with sad puppy dog eyes and their protests died. A feeling of victory radiated off him for the remainder of the meeting from where he sat by my chair. Most of the maids, after ascertaining that he was tame, proclaimed him cute and rubbed his ears.

He left my side once, while I was doing paperwork and returned with a bone that I assumed he'd begged from the cooks.

I did put my foot down when he attempted to follow me into my chamber so I could change for a ride. He sat outside the door and looked pathetic when I came out.

"Not a chance," I told him firmly.

He whined, but I rubbed his head fur and told him not to look so sad. He brightened up when we headed to the stables and dashed into Epona's stall. He came out in his human form, leading his mare. We mounted and headed out through Castle Town. Once we were out on Hyrule Field, Link challenged me to a race.

The sun was starting to set when we called it a day. We'd been out here perhaps an hour. The guards were about to close the drawbridge when they spotted us. We galloped across the bridge back into town.

After returning our horses to the stable, I headed for my chambers to prepare for bed. Once no one was around, he changed back to wolf form and padded by my side all the way to my chambers.

"Thank you, Tharros," I told him, "but you can't come in."

Link sat down and cocked his head to the side, looking at me with puppy dog eyes.

"No," I said quite firmly and turned to unlock my door. The instant it was open, Link shot through and jumped onto my bed, sprawling across it.

"No," I commanded, "out." I pointed to the door as I said this.

Link looked at me with sad eyes and rolled over to expose his belly. I held firm for a minute before seating myself on the edge of the bed and starting to rub his exposed belly.

"All right, you can stay, but on the floor," I told him. Then I stood and walked to my closet. I pulled out a sleeping gown and turned back to Link.

"I going to change now," I informed him, "you had better close your eyes."

Link rolled his eyes, and then closed them. I checked to make sure before stripping out of the gown I'd worn that day and slipping on the new one. I walked back to where Link was making himself comfortable on my bed and pulled back the covers. Link opened one eye and looked at me.

"Floor," I told him.

Link shut his eye. I shoved him off the bed.

He hit the floor with a yelp and gave me a hurt look. I raised my eyebrows and stared back at him. Finally, he gave up and curled up on the rug. I flopped back on my pillows and was asleep within minutes.

I woke with something warm pressed against my back. I snuggled deeper against it and sighed in contentment. Then my brain caught up and I sat bolt upright.

Or rather, I tried to. My body didn't work the way I was used to. I looked down at myself and the breath caught in my throat.

I was a wolf.

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**AN2: What'd you think?  
**


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Second chapter, I'm posting all sorts of things today.

Destroyer124: thanks for reviewing.

Disclaimer: This will apply to all future chapters, because I'm only saying it once. I don't own Legend of Zelda, even on Christmas, or my birthday, or any other day for that matter.

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I leapt out of bed and padded over to the mirror. I was covered in creamy-colored fur, except for my belly and front left paw, which were the black of the twilight clouds. An odd marking, also in black, crossed my head. . A soft bark from the bed caught my attention and I turned back to Link

"Zelda?" he asked, "Is that you?"

I nodded. He leapt off the bed and started circling me.

"How did this happen?" he wondered aloud.

"I don't know," I said. I turned back to the mirror and Link stopped circling and stood next to me. I had never noticed before, but he was a fairly handsome wolf. He was larger than me, with wider shoulders. I was leaner, with longer legs and a slimmer muzzle.

"What did you dream about last night?" Link asked me.

I sat down, facing him. "I don't remember," I said.

Link sat down and tipped his head to one side, thinking. "Let's try a different question then: What were you thinking about before you went to sleep?"

I tried to remember. "I was thinking about how nice it must be to be able to escape the responsibilities of your position every so often."

"By turning into a wolf?" he asked.

I nodded mutely.

"Then you probably can turn back," he said thoughtfully, "just think about being human again and you should turn back."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience," I noted.

Link flicked his ear. "Midna took Zant's curse-stone with her when she returned to the Twilight, but I kept turning into a wolf, so I had to figure out how to change back," he explained.

This was news to me. "Why did you keep changing?" I asked.

"My theory is that I was exposed to the stone so much that the magic sunk into me and even though the source was removed, enough of it stayed that I can still change." He looked thoughtful for a second. "Which might explain why you can change, you were a part of Midna for a while and she was full of the Twilight magic. Not to mention using the Fused Shadows. You were also possessed by Ganondorf, and he had more dark magic than I care to think about."

I nodded. "That makes sense," I said. Then I changed the subject. "So just think about being human again, right?"

He nodded. I closed my eyes and started thinking about being myself again. Two legs, two arms, no fur, no muzzle, no tail. I slowly opened my eyes to find that I was still a wolf.

Link was sitting opposite me, in human form. I looked enviously at him. How could he do that so easily? He noticed my look and chuckled.

"**Don't worry, Zelda,"** he said, **"it took me a while to change back the first time I tried it. It gets easier with practice."**

His voice sounded strange and it took me a moment to realize why. He was no longer speaking the same language as me. Due to my time as a human, I could still understand Hylian, but my wolf brain was wired for something different.

"**Just listen to my voice," **he continued, **"and think about being human."**

He went on to describe a snowball fight we'd had last week when it had snowed. We'd snuck out of the castle and joined the snowball fight started by the children of Castle Town. I had worn my long, hooded cloak and Link was wearing similar winter gear, so no one recognized us. I'd had an amazing time, forgetting my worries as princess and just being carefree. I'd helped a pair of twins, who couldn't have been more than 6 or 7, build a snowman.

At one point, Link, who had been having a snowball fight with a few of the older children, decided that I wasn't participating enough. He'd pointed me out to the little band and I was promptly ambushed and covered in snow. Link then picked me up and deposited me in a snow bank, informing me that everyone was required to make a snow angel. I had asked how him how old he was and tried to get up. He had tackled me back into the snow.

That was my favorite memory from that day; lying in a snow bank with Link on top of me, his warm breath in my ear as he told me that I couldn't very well disappoint the children. He'd then gotten off and I'd acquiesced, waving my arms and legs to make the required angel. Link had helped me back to my feet and we admired my, admittedly sloppy, snow angel. My hood had fallen back, but I didn't care, simply relishing the joy of the moment.

One of the older children had come up and asked if I was Princess Zelda. I'd answered that I was. He'd informed his comrades of this fact and we were both quickly covered in snow.

We'd stayed there until the children's parents had come to tell them to come back inside. I'd pulled my hood back up and we'd made our way back to the castle, covered in snow, and laughing merrily.

Lost in my memories, I realized I'd stopped listening to Link. I opened my eyes to find his at the same level as mine. I looked down to find that I was human again.

Before I could stop myself, I leaned forward and gave Link a hug. He put his arms around me and hugged back.

The moment quickly passed and I pulled back. "Now, I need to change, so you need to leave," I ordered.

Link changed back to wolf form and gave me a silly grin. I opened the door and indicated he should leave. This he did, leaving me to change into a purple winter gown and a pair of boots.

When I pulled open the door, Link was leaning against the wall in his human form.

"Will Tharros not be accompanying me today?" I asked teasingly.

"I have to train the soldiers today," he said, a tone of regret painting his voice, "they certainly need it. I can't remember running into a bigger bunch of cowards. What's on your agenda?"

"I'm going to talk to an expert, see if she knows anything about my 'furry problem'," I told him.

"Who's the expert?" he asked.

I looked up and down the corridor before answering.

"Midna."

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AN2: Cliffhanger! Aren't I evil? Feed the bunnies *cough* review *cough*, and the next chapter will come out faster.

Oh, and nerd points to whomever spots the Harry Potter reference!


	3. Chapter 3

shout-outs to SuperGeek3, person-who-isn't-logged-in, sippurp123, MadMags, and destroyer124 for reviewing.

Warning: LinkxMidna in this chapter, but only if you turn your head a few inches to the left, yes like that, and squint really hard.

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Link's POV

My mouth fell open when I heard Zelda's reply. I'd expected her to name Renado or another person gifted in magic. Never did I think I'd be able to contact Midna again.

Midna. My companion, my friend, and princess of Twilight. She shattered the mirror to separate our worlds and I thought I would never be able to see her again. I did love her, in a way, though now that I think about it, that emotion is less strong now.

"How?" I asked, once I'd gotten over my shock.

Zelda looked up and down the corridor once again, and then pulled on a chain around her neck until a small orange crystal came into view. "Midna gave this to me before she left," she explained, "she called it a Twilight crystal. When you have both running they make a connection between worlds. You can't cross, but as long as they're both running, it's like the person holding the other is in the room with you."

I held out my hand for it. Zelda pulled the chain over her head and dropped it into my waiting palm. I held it up to my eyes and inspected it. It was a small, rectangular-cut, translucent, orange stone the color of sunset. The chain ran through a small metal ring that was attached to one end.

"How do you turn it on?" I asked. As if this were a cue, the stone heated up and started to glow faintly.

Zelda's eyes grew wide. "Not out here," she said quickly and, before I knew what was happening, she'd dragged me into her bedroom. Once the door shut behind us, she held out her hand for the stone. I placed the still-glowing stone in outstretched palm and asked "why is it glowing?"

"It means Midna turned hers on," Zelda explained distractedly. She cupped the stone in both hands and began muttering in a language I'd never heard before. When she finished whatever, the crystal grew dark, and then flashed blindingly.

"Does it always do that?" I asked, blinking rapidly to clear the spots from my eyes.

"Every time," a voice said regretfully, "I tried to make it so that it wouldn't flash, but the magic won't let me."

I froze at the sound of that voice. It was a voice I would recognize anywhere. I'd heard it many times in my ear, urging me on, making sarcastic comments, or just being there. "Midna?" I asked.

The voice behind me let out a giggle. "Did you miss me that much?" she asked sarcastically.

I turned around and found myself face to face with the princess of Twilight. She looked nothing like she had on our journey. Once Zant's curse had broken, she'd resumed her natural form. I'd only seen it a few times, so it was still a shock to see a tall beautiful woman where I expected the mischievously grinning imp.

Her face broke into a grin and any strangeness about her fell away. It was the same grin she'd smiled so many times on our quest and before I could stop myself I moved forward and embraced her tightly. She hesitated a moment, then put her arms around me and hugged back. We stayed like that for a moment before I pulled back and looked around for Zelda.

Zelda's POV

I was standing by the window, staring out, trying not to intrude on their moment. A weight on my shoulder made me turn and lock eyes with Link. I fought down the irrational flare of jealousy when I saw the happiness on his face and turned to face the Twilight Princess.

"Hello, Midna," I said, "I was about to contact you. I have a problem."

Midna's grin dropped off her face like someone had attached a lead weight to it. "Tell me," she said quickly.

"You may want to sit down," I warned. Midna nodded and sat down on thin air. Link's eyes widened at this and Midna smiled at his expression.

"You can interact with the objects in your realm, I interact with the objects in my realm," she explained, "I am sitting in a chair, which to you appears as thin air. Zelda, you are currently standing with your lower half in one of the chairs."

I glanced down; even though I knew I couldn't see the furniture in question and took a step to the left. Satisfied I was no longer standing in any Twili furniture, I took a deep breath and said, all in one breath: "I can turn into a wolf."

It was a good idea to have Midna sit down before I told her that, because her eyes widened and she gripped the invisible arms of her chair like she was about to fall over. "How?" she asked, once she'd gotten over her shock and regained the power of speech.

"My theory is that she was exposed to enough Twilight magic that some stuck to her," Link cut in.

Midna's eyes swiveled to him. "Can you still change?" she asked.

He nodded mutely.

Midna's eyes closed and her head fell back. "This is bad," she muttered.

Link and I exchanged looks. "How is it bad?" he asked. "I was a wolf almost our entire journey and nothing bad came of it."

Midna sighed and started rubbing her temple. "That's because I was there. I could use calming magics." She opened her eyes and fixed her red stare on us "Let me explain," she began.

"Regular people, when exposed to the Twilight Realm, become wolves. Zant was using a cursed from of Twilight magic to cover Hyrule, that's why everyone didn't turn into wolves." The last remark was directed at me, because I'd opened my mouth to ask that exact question. I closed my mouth and nodded, indicating Midna should continue her explanation.

"We Twili refer to these changed souls as moon-wolves. They are smarter than regular wolves, because they retain their ability to think as a human. Many Twili nobles keep moon-wolves as bodyguards of sorts.

However, when the full moon rises, moon-wolves lose their control as humans. Imagine a wolf that could think as a human, but without any of the reservations you or I have. There were varying degrees of control loss among moon-wolves. Some became savage, while others were simply mischievous, depending on their personality.

"So you're scared that one of us will be the savage kind?" I asked, catching on faster than Link.

Midna nodded all traces of humor gone from her face. "They would literally rip apart anything in their path, no matter their connection to it. It could be their best friend, and they would still rip him limb from limb."

Cold dread settled in the pit of my stomach as I considered the possibility that I would rip apart anyone I encountered. I opened my mouth to speak, but Link broke the silence first.

"I was a wolf for several full moons and never ripped anyone apart," he said, "so I won't be the savage sort, right?" His question was directed at Midna.

Midna bit her lip, looking more thoughtful than I'd ever seen her, and then slowly nodded. "You never strained against my spells, so there's a fairly large chance that you won't be savage. You should be away from people when you change though, just in case."

"What about me?" I asked.

Midna turned and fixed me in her crimson stare. "We have no idea what you'll do, Zelda, so you should definitely be somewhere far away during the full moon."

"Possibly deep in the forest," Link added.

"Or the desert," Midna finished. "Those are the most obvious spots. We just need somewhere where it will take you a while to come across civilization, so you can figure out how you react."

"Will I remember what happened when the sun rises?" I asked.

Midna nodded. "Moon-wolves always remember what they've done, no matter how bad. We've never had a moon-wolf that could change back and forth though, so I don't how your human form will affect the equation."

"So, there's a lot we don't know," I summarized, "but we should both be away from people when the full moon rises."

"And each other," Midna added, "I don't know how another wolf will affect your behavior."

"The full moon is in six days," Link put in, "so we have some time."

Midna nodded, and then glanced over her shoulder. "I have to go now; I'll talk to you again later."

Without any more warning, she muttered the spell for the crystal and faded out. Her image hung like smoke in my room for an instant, then I blinked and it was gone.

I turned to Link. A slight trace of sadness lingered in his eyes as he gazed at the place Midna had been, and I put my hand on his arm. He glanced my way, a question in those cerulean depths.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

He nodded, looking back at where Midna had been. "It just sunk in that we're in different worlds," he explained, "I never thought I'd see her again, and when I did, it seemed like old times, then she just vanished. It reminded me that she left."

I nodded sympathetically, and patted his shoulder. "On the bright side, you can talk to her whenever you want," I said, "I'll even teach you the spell to work the crystal."

His face brightened and he hugged me. "Thank you, Zelda," he whispered in my ear.

I put my arms around him and hugged back. This was warmer than last time, when I'd hugged him on impulse. "You're welcome, Hero," I whispered back.

Reluctantly, I let go of him and gave him a playful shove toward the door. "Now, you have guards to train and I have a festival in two weeks to plan for. We need to get going."

"Yes, Princess," he said, mock-saluting and marching exaggeratedly toward the door. I nearly doubled over laughing at him. Never ceasing his queer marching, Link crossed the room and pulled open the door. It swung open revealing a maid standing there with her mouth open.

I burst into fresh waves of giggles at Terri's expression. Terri was the maid in charge of cleaning my room. Usually I cleaned it, but there were days when my schedule was so packed that I didn't have time and Terri would have to clean it. She made a habit of coming by every morning to see which sort of day it was.

Link was joining in now, chuckling. After she recovered from her surprise, even Terri let out a few giggles at her own reaction. Link excused himself and slipped past her before she had a chance to say anything.

"I think I'll be fine today, Terri," I told her, also slipping past. She shot me a curious look and I just knew that by noon everyone in the castle would know that Link had been in my room this morning in the same clothes he'd been in yesterday.

This was going to be a long day.


	4. Chapter 4

**More filler and fluff than anything else, but there are going to be a few more chapters like this until we reach the full moon.  
**

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"Hello. How was your morning?" Link asked, leaning against my table. "I brought you some lunch," he added, holding out a sandwich. I took it and bit in.

Once I'd swallowed, I answered his original question. "Not well, the council can't agree over the details of the festival. It seems that they cannot make a single decision without me."

"What festival is this?" Link asked, before taking a bite of his own sandwich.

"Hyrule's anniversary," I answered, "we have a small celebration every year, but with the Twilight, the council and I feel that it would be best to have something larger this year." I took another bite, chewed and swallowed, "Also, it's the four-hundredth anniversary of Hyrule's founding," I explained.

Link stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and pushed off my desk to sit cross-legged on the floor. "Come here," he said, patting the floor in front of him.

I got off my chair and settled myself in front of him, mirroring his position. "I'm going to teach you how to transform back and forth," he said, "It took me months to get as good as I am and we only have six days to teach you, but you should be able to transform easier."

"So how do we go about teaching me to shape-shift?" I asked.

"First, pick a memory," Link instructed, "something to anchor you to your human side. Close your eyes and pick a memory where you were happy to be alive."

I close my eyes as instructed and a memory comes to mind immediately, holding Link this morning in my room. "Got it," I said without opening my eyes.

"Good, now concentrate on being a wolf. You'll need to make a similar anchor for your wolf side. Then when you want to shift, you focus on the memory associated with the other side."

"That sounds ridiculously simple," I said.

"It is in principle," he told me, "but it's harder to actually apply it. Your perception of the world shifts when you change forms, and it becomes harder to focus on the memories of the other side."

I focus on what I remember from this morning.I remember that I had creamy fur, except for my underbelly and left front paw, which were black. An odd marking crossed my head in the same color, a stripe that went from one ear to the other, dipping down in the middle to nearly between my eyes. It looked like half a diamond, and had a dot in the middle, much like the marking on Link's head.

I opened my eyes and found Link looking at me in his wolf form. He inclined his head and whined something. I shook my head and closed my eyes again. This time I tried focusing on what it would feel like to be free of all that tedious paperwork, not having any duty to my people, simply being able to run through Hyrule field with the wind in my fur.

A nose in my ear made my eyes shoot open. My face split into a grin and my tail started wagging. Link was sitting in front of me, a similar grin on his face.

"First, close your eyes and smell," he instructed.

I did as he instructed and was shocked by how different everything was. My human nose caught so few odors compared to this one. I could smell the papers, and the books that surrounded us, and the stench of the council still clinging tenaciously to them, and I could smell Link, where he'd been leaning against the desk, and then that same scent, but also different, close in front of me now.

I opened my eyes again. "It's amazing," I said, "I can smell so much."

Link let out a soft laugh, "Zelda, your eyes are enormous right now," he teased, bumping his shoulder against mine. He padded over to the door and reared on his hind paws to pull at the handle with his teeth. The door swung open and he stepped back. "Ladies first," he barked.

I padded through the door, taking in all the sights. I had never realized just how tall those ceilings were until I was viewing them from three feet away from the floor. Everything was so strange. I let Link take the lead, following and taking everything in.

Even I had walked these hallways all my life, I was mystified by everything. There was no chance of getting lost though, since I could simply follow my scent trail back to the library.

Link led me to the courtyard and showed me the best sleeping spots, then took me to the kitchen. The cooks knew him, and were not immune to his puppy dog eyes, so they gave him a bone to chew. I hung back, suddenly shy.

One of the cooks, a zora named Tarso, approached me. "Who's this?" he asked, whether to me or Link, I couldn't tell. Link watched him closely as he slowly extended a hand towards me. I hesitated for a moment, and then moved my head forward until it touched Tarso's hand. "Good girl," he said, rubbing behind my ears.

I changed my mind; that felt good. I moved forward, rubbing my head into his hand so he could better scratch behind my ears. Link looked at me with narrowed eyes, something in them that I hadn't seen before.

I pulled away from Tarso and padded up to him. "What's wrong?" I whined, nudging his shoulder with my nose.

"Nothing," he said harshly, picking up his bone. "Let's go," he muttered around it.

I followed him out, hearing Tarso comment to another cook as we left. "Looks like Tharros has found himself a girl."

"Good for him," said the other, "If only I had his luck."

They laughed and went back to their tasks.

I followed Link out into the courtyard where he plopped down underneath a tree and started to gnaw on his bone. I l sat down next to him.

"You're mad," I observed.

"Not mad," he muttered, "disappointed that I can't make you look like that."

I probably wasn't supposed to hear that last bit, but my wolf ears were stronger than my human ones and I did. "Look like what?" I asked.

He looked up, surprised, confirming my suspicions that I wasn't supposed to hear the last bit. "You looked so content," he explained, "like nothing could touch you, and you've never looked like that because of something I've done."

I shifted so I was lying beside him, our pelts brushing. "Hey, if rubbing my ears makes me look like that, then I must be easy to please," I joked.

Link laughed, but I could tell it was forced. "Come on," I said, leaping to my feet, determined to get his mind off that, "race you back."

"You're on," Link replied, scrambling to his feet. I took off, following the shortest path back to the library. Just as I'd first thought, my leaner build and long legs made me faster than Link was. I was waiting by the door when he arrived. "After you," I said smugly, stepping aside so he could go in first.

He nipped my side as he passed and I yipped. Once inside, I pushed the door shut with my nose, then went over to him and, with no warning, ran my tongue from his nose to between his ears.

"Zelda!" he complained, pulling away, "that's gross!" but I could tell by his tone that he was significantly happier than he'd been I the courtyard. I closed my eyes and started focusing on the human anchor. This time I felt a slight tug and when I opened my eyes, I was human again. Link was still in wolf form, staring at me.

"Close your mouth," I said, placing one finger under his chin and closing his mouth, "it makes you look like a fish, having it hanging open" I dropped a kiss to the top of his head and went back to my desk to continue working on the paperwork for the festival.

I worked in uninterrupted silence until Link got over whatever had shocked him and transformed back. "How did you turn back so fast?" he asked incredulously, "it took me days of practice before I could transform that fast."

"Maybe I just have a particularly strong human anchor," I mused.

Link would've said more, but he caught sight of the sun's position out the window. "Oh Goddesses!" he exclaimed, "I have to go help train the guards, they need shaping up before the festival. See you later."

Without another word, he was out the door. I smiled after him. I did have a strong human anchor, I had Link.

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**Enjoy and review**


	5. Chapter 5

**Another filler chapter. I meant to hold onto this one and post it** **next week, but apparantely chapters like freedom.**

**Oh and I made changes to Zelda's wolf form in chapters 2 and 4, so you may want to go back and re-read those.  
**

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Link was holding his hands behind his back when he found me later that afternoon. I was about to go down to the kitchen for some dinner.

"Change into a wolf for a minute," he ordered.

"Why?" I asked.

"You need to wear this," he said, pulling his hands from behind his back. In one was a blue length of cloth with a metal tag attached.

"No way," I said, backing up a step.

"Yes way," Link said, advancing.

"I am not wearing that," I stated firmly, retreating all the while.

"You made me wear one," he argued, taking a step forward for every step I took back.

My back hit the wall and I realized he'd boxed me into the wall quiet neatly, leaving me no way to run. He leaned forward, placing his hands on the wall on either side of my head. "You are going to wear this, Princess," he insisted, his breath warming my ear.

I had to swallow a few times before I could speak. "What if I refuse to comply?" I asked.

"Then I will fasten it around your neck in human form and lock it on, so the great princess Zelda has to go to dinner with a dog collar around her neck," he threatened.

My eyes widened and my brain started racing. An idea came to me and a wicked grin crossed my face. "On one condition," I whispered, rising on tiptoe to whisper into his ear, making sure that my lips brushed his ear. It was his turn to gulp.

"And what might that be?" he asked, in a voice that was deeper than I was used to hearing.

"You have to… catch me!" I threw the last two words over my shoulder as I slipped out underneath his arm and took off down the hall.

Link simply stood there for a moment, then I heard pounding feet as he followed me.

Terri's POV

I was standing in the courtyard, having a conversation with another maid when a door flew open and Princess Zelda came running in. My eyes widened to twice their usual size because this was unlike any Princess Zelda I'd ever seen. Her face was flushed, her hair messy, and her dress in disarray.

She was also laughing. Not forced laughter, but honest "I'm having the time of my life" laughter that caught the attention of everyone in the courtyard and made them look around to see who was creating it.

She was perhaps half-way across the courtyard, taking no notice of us, when the door opened again and Link came through, chasing the princess. She glanced over her shoulder and tried to evade him, but he caught her, putting his arms around her waist and swinging her in a circle.

By now, the pair had everyone in the courtyard riveted. We probably wouldn't have gone in if the dinner bell had rung just then, but we may as well not have been there for all the attention they were paying us.

Link set her down on her feet and they had a whispered argument. It looked like Link won, because Princess Zelda nodded and closed her eyes. The Hero grabbed her arm and whispered something else.

The Princess's eyes shot open and she looked around, seemingly noticing us for the first time. Upon realizing that the courtyard was full of people, all staring interestedly at her, she blushed a brilliant crimson.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Link scooped her up with one arm under her knees and the other behind her shoulders.

Zelda's POV

I looked around, wondering why Link told me I couldn't transform here. My cheeks burned crimson when I saw what felt like the entire castle staff staring at me. Then I felt something on the backs of my knees. I tried to keep my balance and stay upright, but gravity took over and I was falling backwards.

Link's other arm caught me and he straightened to his full height, holding me bridal style. "Link!" I shrieked for all to hear, "Put me down!"

Link's eyes glittered mischievously, "No," he responded.

I succumbed to my fate and relaxed in his arms. He carried me back through the door we'd come through while he was chasing me.

"So," he began, "I've caught you, now you have to wear it."

I sighed. I really hadn't wanted to wear the thing, but in human form Link was faster than I was.

"Sorry, what was that, Princess?" Link asked, looking down into my eyes.

"Yes, I'll wear it," I sighed.

"Excellent," he said, and deposited me gently on my feet. I closed my eyes and focused on my wolf anchor, which was the memory of Tarso rubbing behind my ears. I felt guilty for using that memory, but it was the best one I had.

When I opened my eyes again, they were level with Link's waist. I looked up at him and wagged my tail. He crouched down, collar in hand.

"What does it say?" I asked, realizing that I didn't know.

**"You'll have to ask me that again once you've changed back,"** Link said.

I raised my chin, making it easier for him to fasten the collar around my neck. Once he'd done that he started rubbing behind my ears. I nearly melted, because Link was much better at that than Tarso, though that might be my personal bias speaking.

**"I just noticed,"** Link commented, moving his hand from behind my ear to trace the stripe on my head, **"it looks like you're wearing a crown. This is the metal band that goes around," **he traced the stripe that went from one ear to the other,** "and this is the jewel," **his finger touched the dot in the middle of my forehead.

I rubbed against his fingers; it felt good to have my head scratched. Link obliged until we heard the bell ring, signifying that dinner was ready.

**"We should go in,"** he said, **"unless you'd like to feed the gossip mill some more."**

If I'd been human, I would have blushed just remembering. Most, if not all, of the castle staff had just watched Link pick me up and carry me out of the room. Combine that with the fact Terri had caught Link in my room this morning and the gossip mills were probably churning out rumors about me and Link being involved.

I closed my eyes and focused, transforming back. It was easier to go from wolf to human than the other way, so I managed the transformation quickly.

"Shall we go in, Milady?" Link asked in a fake stuffy accent, offering his arm.

"We shall," I agreed in the same stuffy accent, taking his arm.

"What were you asking?" Link said, remembering. "Before, when you were a wolf?" he clarified.

"I was trying to ask what the tag said," I explained.

"I did some research," he told me; "I found that Tharros means _courage_, so your tag says Kipissa, which is a shortened version of prigkipissa_,_ which means _princess_."

"You got Saron to help you make it," I accused.

He nodded, "Guilty as charged."

"Traitor," I mumbled. Link caught the comment and laughed, throwing back his head.

"I didn't exactly tell him I was collaring the princess," he said, "I don't think he would have been very happy with me."

"So what did you tell him?" I asked.

"That I needed a collar for a friend," came the reply.

"Did he ask what sort of friend?" I asked.

Link shook his head and nodded at the door in front of us. "Ready to face the music Milady?" he asked.

I unwound my arm from his and took a step sideways. "No reason to feed the gossip mill any more than necessary," I explained.

Link nodded and pushed open the door, heading in. I followed before the door shut completely and headed to a seat, ignoring the curious stares.

On a regular day, everyone ate in the same room, coming and going as they pleased. The food was in large dishes in the middle of the long tables, and you could serve yourself what you liked. I had implemented this when my reign began. It was an excellent way to get to know my subjects, hear all the latest gossip, and find out what was troubling them.

I sat down between a maid and a footman whose names I hadn't caught and started serving myself mashed potatoes. I wasn't in the mood to talk much, so I focused my attention on eating and let the conversations wash over me. One particular one caught my ears and I listened hard, trying to not look like I was eavesdropping.

"Did you hear the news, about the princess and the hero?"

"What's that?" sounds of a mug hitting the table accentuated this statement, "I was on duty in the town, haven't heard much of anything."

"Well," I could tell by the voice that it was female, likely one of the gossip loving maids, "he was seen coming out of her room this morning, and by all reports, he spent the night there."

"Well, good for 'im."

"And he was chasing her this afternoon, less than a quarter-hour ago. Laughing their heads off, they were."

The soldier grunted. "How long do you give 'em? 'Til she's queen proper, that is."

"You mean 'til they get married?" she asked.

At that I nearly spat my drink across the table. The footman on my right pounded my back until I stopped choking.

"Thanks," I spluttered out, "um, sorry I didn't catch your name."

He grinned broadly at me, "I'm Charles, your Highness. I assume you heard what they're saying over there?" he tipped his head toward the conversation that I'd been listening to.

"I did" I admitted, "and please, call me Zelda. The only time I use my title is with the nobles of my court."

Charles nodded. "Zelda, then. Any thoughts on that conversation?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a cold wet nose making unannounced contact with my knee. I yelped in surprise and stood up, searching for the culprit.

Tharros was crouching under the table, looking up at me with innocent eyes.

"Tharros, get out from under there," I ordered. Tharros looked at me and sat down, waving his tail slightly.

"Come. Here" I hissed from between gritted teeth.

Tharros tipped his head to one side and I repeated my command. He decided it would be wise to obey this time and trotted up to me, whining apologetically. I rubbed his ears and told him not to do it again. He tried to lick my face, so I pushed him down.

Tharros flicked his ears in a way I knew meant "come with me". He started toward the door, then stopped and looked back. I chuckled at his behavior and returned to my seat.

Charles was watching me curiously. "Yours?" he asked, nodding to where Tharros was sitting.

I nodded. "His name is Tharros," I told the footman once I'd swallowed.

Charles's eyes narrowed as he watched Tharros head into the kitchen. "Unusual pet, a wolf," he commented, "he seems unusually smart for a canine."

I shrugged and finished my dinner. "He's just smart, I guess."

Charles's gaze never left Tharros as I stood and walked out of the room. The wolf picked up his bone and ran after me.

Once we were out of the dining hall and a ways away from any prying ears, I turned to him. "What is it?" I asked.

Tharros looked at me, then bounded off. He stopped partway down the hall and looked back at me. I sighed and changed to wolf form.

"What is it?" I repeated.

"Come with me," Tharros barked, running off down the hallway. I sighed again and followed, quickly catching up. We ran side-by-side down the hallway, emerging into the training courtyard. Tharros stopped beside one of the practice dummies.

"What are we doing here?" I asked.

"The full moon is five days from now, Zelda," he explained, "I'm going to teach you how to defend yourself."

"Is this really necessary?" I questioned.

"Of course," he told me, "I am not going to be around to protect you, so I'm going to teach you everything I can and you have to promise me you'll stay safe."

"I promise," I said solemnly. He nodded and began his explanation.

"Fighting as a wolf is very different than fighting as a human. You're not using a sword or some other weapon, the only weapons you have are your claws, your teeth, and your wit. Attack the dummy."

"What?" I asked, taken aback by the sudden change of pace.

"Attack the dummy," he repeated. I circled carefully, then lunged in, snapping my jaws around its arm.

He stopped me and corrected what I was doing wrong. "Again," he instructed.

I leapt again

It was hours later before Link declared I had improved sufficiently and let me go back to my room. I staggered in, exhausted, and passed out without bothering to change back to human form.

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**We get to the full moon next chapter, reviews inspire me to write faster**


	6. Chapter 6

**Happy Easter everyone and thank you, to everyone who's reading this and especially to everyone who took the time to review. They make my day.  
**

**I still don't own Zelda**

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The remaining days until the full moon passed quickly, filled with preparations for the upcoming festival and Link's lessons on being a wolf. The first day of the full moon dawned bright and early. We wouldn't change until the moon rose, but I could still feel it calling me, even blocked as it was by the sun.

I sat through endless council meetings and let my irritability show. It would give me an excellent excuse to retire early enough to get where I was going by sunset.

We had decided that I was going to Snowpeak. Link had shown me how to call the giant bird that would carry me up the river and from there I was to follow the reekfish scent up the mountain. Link was going to go to the Lost Woods. It wasn't far to civilization, but it was the only place he couldn't get back from as a wolf.

The day seemed to drag on, but finally about an hour or so before sunset, I found myself in the gardens, waiting for Link. I sat on a bench and clenched and unclenched my fists, feeling the slight prick of claws each time I did.

"What was the problem?" a voice asked. I spun around to see Link approaching. There was something different about him today, but I couldn't put my finger on it precisely.

"My tail," I said by way of explanation.

"You have a tail?" he asked.

I nodded. "I'd show you, but I'm wearing a dress."

Link laughed at that and that's when I spotted it. His teeth had sharpened slightly, not quite fangs, but not flat either.

"So," I said, changing the subject, "How are we getting out of the castle?"

Link grinned, and grabbed hold of my hand, leading me down twisting paths. I kept pace fairly easily, enjoying the sensation of my hand in his. We stopped at trapdoor hidden behind some shrubbery. He pulled it open and gestured for me to go first.

I stepped in and waited while Link shut the door behind us and led me along a twisting passage. A chink of light was showing under another door when we stopped.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"I found it while I was exploring the gardens," he explained, "I couldn't open it from the outside, however, so we'll have to find another way back in."

I gave the door a slight shove and it swung open easily on unseen hinges. I glanced over at Link, who was watching me. A rash impulse seized me and before I could stop myself, I kissed him. My mind caught up to my actions and I pulled away and transformed to hide my blush, leaping out the opening to the grass below. I glanced over my shoulder once and saw him still standing perfectly still, staring after me.

I howled out a wolf laugh and increased my speed, reaching the bridge across Lake Hylia in a matter of minutes. Without hesitation, I leapt off toward the water far below.

A splash heralded my impact with the water. I surfaced, shaking my head to get the water out of my ears and paddled toward the dock Link had described to me. I enjoyed the feeling of the water against my fur and the wind whispering along the surface of the water, but mostly the feeling of freedom. I was never allowed to go out without an escort, so this was amazing.

I reached the platform without incident and howled the proper tune. A small blue bird flew down and hovered in front of me.

"So, you'll be wanting a ride up the river?" it chirped. It had an annoying voice and I resisted the urge to swat at it.

I bobbed my head and it chirped a little tune, fleeing to its previous perch once the last note faded. I looked around curiously, wondering what it was afraid of.

My question was answered when an enormous bird soared down from the cliffs surrounding Lake Hylia. It fastened its claws around me, dangling me in the air by my ribcage. It flapped leathery wings and we flew toward the tunnel that the river flowed through. It soared through the tunnel, avoiding hanging rocks and wooden structures with a grace that defied its size. I watched the water pass beneath my dangling paws and let it carry me upriver.

The bird released me on a grassy knoll by the Zora's Domain and turned to go back.

"Thank you!" I barked after it. A trumpeting was my only answer.

I shrugged and turned towards Zora's Domain, enjoying the grass under my running paws as I hurried. The sun was being slow sinking into the horizon, but still much too fast for my liking. I blazed through the Domain, past zora who barely noticed me, and ran up the chilly tunnel to the snow-capped mountain.

I burst onto a ledge in a shower of snow and looked around. Link had said he would leave a reekfish by the entrance so I could get the scent, but I didn't see the tell-tale red scales. A quick glance at the horizon told me the sun was nearly gone from the horizon and the moon would rise soon.

Another cursory search and I gave it up for lost, jumping down towards the icy lake. Placing my paws carefully, I picked my way across the spinning ice shards and began to ascend the mountain.

While my paws climbed the mountain slope, my mind was buzzing with other thoughts; mostly, my kissing Link. Though he had been too shocked to respond, I really wanted to do it again and with the full moon, I might not be able to stop myself. Though now that I thought about it, I really didn't want have to stop myself.

My breath was coming in pants now, so I shook my head, driving out such thoughts, and focused on climbing. I got lost several times without the scent rail to guide me, though it wasn't hard to figure out which way to go though, I just had to keep heading upwards.

I was nearly at the top of the mountain when the sun went out, disappearing behind the other peaks. The mountain was colder now without the rosy light shining across it. I shivered and glanced up. My eyes caught the edge of the moon just peering up over the horizon and everything went black.

Link's POV

I stood shock still, staring after the black and cream she-wolf. I heard her howl out a laugh as she disappeared, and then she was gone.

I slowly let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding and raked a hand through my hair. I had not been expecting her to kiss me, however much I'd enjoyed it. I'd been frozen when she'd done it, shock my only emotion, but she'd pulled away before I could do anything.

I shook my head and transformed, paws impacting the grass and pushing off again in a steady loping rhythm, driving my scattered thoughts into a semblance of order. My paws carried me southward to the great forest without me thinking about it.

Zelda had kissed me. Princess Zelda had kissed _me_. I had not expected that, and if I was honest with myself, I really wanted to do it again; not just stand there like a statue, but kiss her back.

Lost in thought I barely noticed as I breezed past the entrance to Faron province and past the oil-seller, who called a greeting. Into the tunnel, avoiding the bats with the ease of long practice, and through the dip that no longer held fog. Before I entered the clearing where the oil-seller's bird held shop, I changed back, not wanting to explain that particular ability. The bird called out, but I ignored it in favor of mounting the small hill that still held the golden cuckoo.

I lifted the bird and leapt, gliding from platform to platform until I reached the entrance. There I released the bird, watching it fly back out of sight.

I turned to head inside, howl for Skull Kid maybe, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the moon peering over the tops of the trees. Everything went black.


	7. Chapter 7

**Still don't own Zelda. Sorry for the delay, I was caught up in another project, but the first full-moon night is finally here.**

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My first thought when I woke was that it was cold. That thought alone made me snap open my eyes and sit upright. I was sitting the snow beneath a lone tree on a spear of rock that stuck out from the mountain. I strained to remember how I'd gotten here and memories, now that they were bidden, filed into my head, parading past my eyes.

*flashback*

_I sat and howled at the moon, lending voice to my joy at being out of that strange stone prison that I was constantly cooped up in. Song finished, I leapt to my paws and raced through the snow, exhilarating in being able to run like never before. A pack of snow wolfos popped up in front of me and I dropped into fighting stance, growling deep in my throat at those that dared to cut my freedom short._

_They mimicked my stance and began to circle, shifting and moving, trying to make me lose sight of them. I threw myself on the nearest, killing him efficiently and cleanly. Enraged, the rest of his pack leapt at me, but I was ready. I flung myself into the fray, reveling in the give and take, the bright dance of claws and fangs. Finally, I stood alone in the snow, bodies of those who had threatened me dissolving once more into snow around me._

_I threw back my head and howled once more, this time in triumph, before taking off again. I ran up, climbing as high as I could go. There I stood for a while, simply looking out at everything. Then a keese caught my attention and I tore down the mountain in pursuit._

*end flashback*

I sighed in relief that my moon-drugged self wasn't a savage. I was proud and fierce, unafraid to attack, but I did not seek out things to kill.

Another gust of wind made my teeth chatter, so I changed back into a wolf and began padded down the mountain, thinking through all that happened last night. It had actually been kind of fun not having any restrictions and no one to care that I was making a fool of myself.

Idly I glanced up, then let out a yelp and increased my speed. The sun had just cleared the horizon, but it was a ways back to the castle. Again, I tore through the Domain, but this time I jumped into the left fork of the river, letting the current carry me to the castle. Still dripping, I hauled my soaked fur out of the river and to where the door opened.

A brush of my nose on the door and the Royal Family's crest appeared to be etched on before vanishing just as it had come. The door swung open on noiseless hinges and I ran full speed along the dark passage, emerging into the bright sunlight of the gardens. Here I slowed my pace slightly, not wanting to attract the attention of the gardeners. I reached the castle without incident and started up the steps to my room.

Thankfully I ran into no one who questioned the presence of a wolf in the castle. They were all busy thankfully, too buried in their own little world to notice me. My fur had dried during the run here and though I was still breathing hard, I didn't look too out of place.

It seemed like it took forever to climb the stairs to my room, though it couldn't have been much longer than ten minutes. Carefully, I padded up to my door, still in wolf form, and glanced in both directions. A quick pull on the door handle and I was in, nudging it closed behind me.

I changed back to human form and walked quietly to the closet. I shed the gown I had worn on Snowpeak and pulled out a new one. The old gown was discarded and I quickly changed before slipping out of my room.

A voice startled me as I was shutting the door. "Hello, princess. Will you need my services today?" Terri asked.

I jumped at her voice. "Yes please, Terri," I said.

She looked at me curiously. "Is something wrong, princess?" she asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I plastered on a smile. "Just jumpy, I guess," I deadpanned, "Well, I need to go to a meeting. Goodbye, Terri." Without another word, I walked swiftly away in the opposite direction.

Terri's POV

I narrowed my eyes as I watched the princess walk away. She was acting suspiciously today, and I wanted to know what was going on.

I slipped into the princess's room, shut the door behind me, and began cleaning; paying attention to anything that could tell me why she was behaving oddly.

I did find a few clues. Her bed had not been slept in last night, and there was a wet dress on the floor. I picked it up and inspected it.

"Where were you last night, princess?" I asked, to no one in particular.

Link's POV

I woke in the grove that held the Master Sword. I stretched, enjoying the sunlight on me, before getting to my feet. I walked back through the grove, not hurrying, though I should probably get back to the castle.

Memories floated to the surface and I let them come up.

*flashback*

_I opened my eyes and shook myself from head to tail. Tongue lolling out, I padded into the grove and howled for Skull Kid. To my surprise, he didn't show. I growled low in my throat and walked deeper in search of the strange imp-like creature._

_I searched every inch of that grove, and finally found him sleeping behind a waterfall. I crept forward silently and barked right next to his ear._

_Skull Kid leapt up with a shriek more suited to come out of Ilia's mouth. I barked a laugh. The strange imp glared at me._

_"Do you want to play with me?" he asked. I extended my forelegs so my rear was in the air and wagged my tail furiously. Skull Kid cracked a smile at my antics and raised his horn. He blew and the familiar distorted song echoed through the woods._

_Puppets descended around me as he vanished with a giggle. I straightened up and leapt at them, demolishing the group quickly before padding off in search of their master._

*end flashback*

I grinned at the memory of how silly I'd been. That was certainly a memory to pull out when the nobles got long-winded.

Lost in my thoughts, I'd reached the edge already. I pulled out my clawshots and pulled myself along until I reached where the golden cuckoo sat. I ignored the bird and walked past the shop and through the tunnel. Once I reached the place where the path forked, I reached for Ilia's horse charm and blew into it.

Epona's song drifted on the wind and soon my mare came running along the path. Her coat was freshly washed, probably Ilia's work. I swung up and urged her into a gallop, heading toward Hyrule Castle and Zelda.

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**I feel the need to explain their wolf personalities. Link is rather vicious in everyday life, so his moon-wolf self is the childish, playful creature he doesn't get to be. Zelda plays the trapped, helpless damsel, though she does express her temper, so she is uncageable and fiercely independent.**


	8. Chapter 8

**The good news: I'm back! And I have a nice long chapter to hopefully make up for my absence (or at least make you less inclined to throw things at me)**

**The bad news: It's been five months, and everyone who's read this has probably given up hope of ever seeing another chapter.**

**So without further ado, and because I want to get out of here before you guys wake up fully and start throwing things at me for taking so long, here is the next chapter of "Wolves"**

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As soon as the meeting I'd been sucked into got out, I went looking for Link. After searching what felt like the entire castle, I found him in the training field, sparring with a soldier. I paused a moment in the entrance and watched him.

He flowed from pose to pose, countering every attack gracefully and leaving no holes in his guard, though I could tell he was holding back. Though the soldier, probably one of the new recruits, was trying every trick he knew, he couldn't find any way to beat him.

With one last move, Link leapt over his opponent's head and brought his sword to rest on the back of his neck. The recruit dropped his sword and raised his hands in surrender.

"Well done," Link remarked, lowering his sword, "your defense has improved since last time."

"Thank you, sir," the soldier said, picking up his sword, "that means a lot, coming from you."

"Watch your left side, your recovery is still a bit weak on that side," Link instructed, "And keep practicing your attacks."

The soldier nodded, bowed quickly, and left.

"You enjoy training them," I observed, walking up to him.

Link turned to face me, smile spreading across his face. "Yeah," he admitted, "I do." An idea flitted across his face. "So, did you miss me so much that you couldn't wait to see me again?" he asked, a teasing note coloring his voice.

A war started inside me. One small part of me desperately wanted to kiss him, but the other part, the one less affected by the moon, insisted that that was not proper behavior for a princess.

"Zelda? Are you alright?" Link's voice interrupted my internal conflict.

"What?" I asked distractedly, then as my brain caught up, "Oh, yeah, I'm fine, just lost in thought."

"What were you thinking about?" he asked.

"That we need to contact Midna," I informed him, telling that small part of myself to shut up, "let her know what happened last night."

Link shrugged. "I didn't really do much except play with Skull Kid."

"So you're not vicious," I said, "good, neither am I. Well, I'm not savagely so, at least. Come on." I grabbed his wrist and tugged him after me.

"Where are we going?" Link asked. I pressed my ear to a door and moved on to the next one.

"An empty room," I replied, checking another door.

"Why can't we use the library again?" he asked.

"We don't know how long it will take and I don't want to have to explain the Princess of Twilight to anyone who happens to stumble in," I said, "help me?"

Link moved away from me and began checking the doors on the other side of the hallway.

"Zelda," he hissed about six doors later. I turned to see that he had the door open and was peering in. "this one's clear," he assured me, "ladies first."

I slipped through the doorway, closely followed by Link, who shut the door after us. I summoned a spark of light by snapping my fingers, and set it to float above our heads. By the light of my spark, I saw that we were in an unused room. It held no furniture of any sort and nothing that stood out except for us and my spark.

I pulled the crystal's chain over my head, holding the stone in my hands and letting the chain swing freely. My eyes closed and I began to recite the spell that Midna had drilled into me before she left.

The stone heated up in response, flaring for an instant before dying down when I finished.

"Why didn't she appear?" Link asked, looking around like he expected Midna to be hiding in a corner.

"She has to confirm the spell, connect the other end of the bridge, so to speak," I informed him, "it might be a while."

"While we wait, want to swap stories?" the hero asked. Without waiting for my response, he settled himself on the floor and patted the stone next to him.

"I can't," I told him, "if I get my dress dirty, I'll have to explain to the council and they give me headaches enough as it is."

Link's fingers closed around my wrist and gave a gentle tug. It was just enough to set me off balance and I fell to the floor. To my surprise, I didn't get the hard landing I'd been expecting. Instead, I landed on something warm that yielded beneath me.

"Is this an acceptable compromise?" he asked.

"W-what if someone comes in?" I stammered out, "This is not proper."

Link shrugged. "Would you rather sit on the floor?"

"No," I said, perhaps a bit too quickly. Now that I've gotten over the shock of being tugged off my feet, I was enjoying my placement. Link was warm and solid under me and against my side and his arms had found their way around my waist, likely placed there when he'd pulled me down to prevent my fall from continuing onto the dusty stone floor.

He chuckled, "so princess, what happened to you last night?" he asked.

"I went to Snowpeak, as you suggested," I told him, "I couldn't find that reekfish, so guessed as best I could as to the route. It's more confusing than I thought, but I managed to get partway up before the moon rose. I blacked out when I first saw it and woke the next morning in a snow bank. Did that happen to you?"

He nodded. "I made it across the gap separating the Sacred Grove from the rest of Faron Province before the moon rose, blacked out next to the howling stone. I woke up near the Master Sword's pedestal."

"So," I prompted, "what did you do in the Sacred Grove, fearless hero?"

A sheepish grin took root on Link's face. "I chased Skull Kid," he admitted, "in circles all around that bit of forest. I think he caught on that I wanted to play rather than get into the Master Sword chamber because after a while he stopped creating puppets. It turned into a sort of tag rather than the hide-and-seek he usually plays."

"So the hero of Twilight chased an imp around in circles," I restated, "sounds very dignified."

"Keep that up, princess, and I'll push you onto the floor," Link growled, "and then you'll have to explain to the council why your dress is all dirty."

"Aren't you two cute," Midna interjected.

My head shot up. Midna was standing in the room, arms crossed and amused smirk in place.

"Midna!" my companion exclaimed, "how long have you been standing there?"

"About since 'chased an imp in circles'," she replied, "isn't that what you were doing your entire quest?"

"You were riding on my back," he protested, "I wasn't chasing you!"

"I said jump, you jumped," the Twili retorted, "chasing, mindlessly obeying, is there really a difference?"

I grinned, watching them banter, but it was tainted with a slight bitterness, knowing he shared memories with Midna that I could never hope to match.

"So," I interrupted before they could get into a full-fledged argument that would take ages to get them out of, "don't you want to know if there are two terrors loose in Hyrule?" I said it in a teasing tone, but I didn't miss the anxiety that flashed across the Twilight Princess's face.

"I don't think she does," Link stage-whispered in my ear, "Maybe we should just not tell her."

Midna sighed. "Yes, you evil Hylians, I would like to know what happened last night."

A dramatic sigh passed my lips. "Well, it could have been worse," I said brightly, "I only killed a few."

I wished I had a pictobox at that moment to capture Midna's expression.

"Relax, Midna, they were ice keese and snow wolfos," I explained.

"So you," the Twili leveled a finger at me, "tore apart the local wildlife and you," Link was on the receiving end of her accusing glare this time, "chased your tail? I think you're both going completely moon-sick."

"Since we're not savage, does that mean we don't have to go all the way to Snowpeak or the Sacred Grove?" the hero asked before I could accuse her of making that up.

"I suppose so," Midna said thoughtfully, "I would still recommend staying away from people, but you shouldn't have any problems if you stay in Hyrule Field. And if that's all for now, I need to get back to my duties."

"What are you doing?" Link asked curiously.

"I'm holding an open session," she replied, "anyone can come with a complaint and I will give them a fair hearing. Usually it's simple things, complaints against neighbors and such or a Twili with something they feel needs my attention."

"Perhaps I could do that with the people of Hyrule," I mused, "the only problem lies in convincing the council."

"I just threaten to dismiss mine if they prattle on too long," Midna put in with a grin.

"If only," I sighed. "Well, we're sorry we kept you so long."

Midna turned the spell off and faded away before my eyes, growing more and more indistinct with every blink until I couldn't make out her outline anymore.

"Well, that's a relief, that we don't have to go so far," I said, "I was almost late for a meeting this morning. Not that they discussed anything interesting; they can't seem to agree on a single thing."

"Maybe you should check and see if you're allowed to dismiss them," Link suggested, "that might shock some sense into the old things."

"Tempting as that is, there's probably some by-law that states I'm not allowed to do that without their permission," I sighed. "Now I do need to get back. There are invitations to write and papers to sign." I moved to get up, but his arms held me firmly in place.

"Some paperwork is more important to you than me?" he asked softly, right into my ear.

I twisted to face him and my breath caught. We were far too close now to be anything even approaching proper, even leaving out the fact that I was sitting on him.

I found I couldn't care less. That moon-struck bit of me that wanted to kiss him was starting up again, and seemed to be gaining support from the rest. Or was it losing resistance?

"Well?" he prompted.

I tried to say something, but the words stuck in my throat.

Then that moon-struck part of me won, any distance between us was gone and words stopped being necessary.

* * *

**Terri's POV**

I scurried along the corridor, asking anyone I came across if they'd seen the princess. No one could remember seeing her or the Hero for a while now. As I went along I grew more and more certain of my previous guess.

The princess had spent the night somewhere that wasn't her chambers. Based on what I'd seen and heard, I suspected she had spent it with the Hero.

It wasn't technically part of my job to know this, but there were rules about this sort of thing, rules that the princess seemed to be flagrantly disobeying. Besides, I wanted to know.

Lost in my thoughts, I wasn't watching where I was going and bumped into a footman. He caught me before I knocked us both over and steadied me.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" he asked.

I bit my lip, debating whether or not to tell him, and then blurted out, "have you seen the Princess or the Hero this evening?"

He looked taken aback at my sudden question, but only for an instant. He pulled me to the side of the hall, out of the main path. "I think there's something up with those two," he confided in a hushed voice.

"I know," I replied, a bit too loud. He hushed me and I repeated in a softer voice. "I know. I don't think she slept in her room yesterday and her dress was wet, but no one saw her going back through the castle."

"There's something up with that wolf," he said, "I think…" he trailed off for a moment, checking around to make sure no one could hear us, then leaned closer, "I think her wolf _is_ the Hero."

"What?" I yelped, drawing several looks. The footman shushed me again.

"He is the wolf?" I repeated, "What does that have to do with her disappearing from her room?"

"Because I think whatever dark, twisted magic caused him to transform is contagious and the princess has caught it. It explains everything. She wasn't in her room because-"

"She was cavorting about as a wolf!" I exclaimed in a loud whisper.

"Exactly, and that's why no one saw her come back, because they were looking for the princess, not a wolf," he finished.

A triumphant grin spread across my face as we solved the mystery, then fell just as quickly as it had appeared. "But we have no proof," I hissed, "just idle speculation. It could be she fell asleep in the library and took a back way back to her room."

The footman's eyes narrowed. "We need to catch them in the act," he whispered, "come on." He started down the hall and I followed him.

"I'm Charles, by the way," he said as we rounded a corner, "what's your name?"

* * *

***peers out from behind rock* Am I forgiven for taking so long? I promise the next chapter won't have such a large updating gap.**

**And yes, there's a time gap between where Zelda cut off and where Terri took over the narrative.  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Lucky readers. I saw the Skyward Sword "romance trailer" going around, did a little happy dance at the prospect of canon ZeLink, and wrote this up when I should be working on my NaNoWriMo. Therefore, I have another chapter for you. One more after this, then an epilogue.  
**

* * *

I was distracted all through the next meeting, my brain running over and over that kiss in the empty room. I'd thought the kiss last night where, I'd attacked him with no warning, was nice, but this had been even better.

Even with the restlessness caused by the moon calling to me, my good mood could not be diminished. I even managed to smile at the council, not caring in the least that this would make them suspicious and fueled by the thought that it might be possible to dismiss them if they got too long-winded.

With that in mind, I headed straight for the library as soon as I could. My intent was to look up Hyrule's laws and see if there were any restrictions on the authority of the monarch over the council. The law books were slightly dusty and written in difficult phrasing, but weren't too hard to understand when I set my mind to it.

That's where I was when Link came bursting into the room, looking like someone was chasing him with a broom.

"Zelda!" he exclaimed, "where have you been?"

I glanced up from the book in front of me on the table. "Right here," I replied, "where else would I be?"

"What are you doing?" he asked frantically, "do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Yes, it's…"I trailed off as I glanced out the window. The sky was almost completely black, just the last traces of sunlight slipping over the horizon and illuminating the castle. I'd been so absorbed in my books I hadn't noticed the passing of time.

"Almost moonrise," he finished, "we need to go _now_."

I leapt up from the table, not bothering to straighten the books and followed him out. We slipped through the castle, going as fast as we could without attracting undue attention to ourselves.

"Thank you for coming to find me," I said as we neared the door to the garden.

Link turned and flashed me a small smile. "You're welcome," he replied. Abruptly, he tugged me off the path and through a bush into a small clearing surrounded on all sides by tall bushes that made it impossible to see out.

"I don't think we're going to make it to Hyrule Field before the moon rises," he explained, "the next best thing would be to find a place where no one can see us to transform and-" he cut off, perking his head up like a dog that's been called and looking around.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, voice low enough that I had to strain to hear it.

"No," I said, matching his volume, "what was it?"

"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling," the hero replied, "like someone is watching—"

He never got to finish that sentence, because then the moon crested the horizon and we both dropped into the blackness.

_I picked up my head from where it had landed from atop my paws and looked around. I was in a grove, but I knew I was close to the great stone mountain-cave that my delicate body lived in. Next to me lay a male wolf, still out from sudden pull of the moon. I took a moment to look him over, noting his sleek coat covering rippling muscles._

_I pulled my paws under me and stood up, shaking the grass out. Abruptly, my head went up, nose working as I caught a scent. A growl tore loose from my throat as I realized that what the male had been saying was true. The scent of two beings hung in the air, one male, one female._

_My other body, the delicate one, knew the female, and I could put an image to the scent. It was the one who cleaned her/my room and another one that I wasn't familiar with._

_A twig snapped off to the side, accompanied by rustling. I knew one, the female, was leaving, but didn't bother with them, turning my attention instead to the male, who was awake now._

_"We're being watched," he told me, skipping all greetings._

_"I know," I replied, "There were two. The female left. We should go now."_

_He growled playfully. "Bossy, aren't you?"_

_I snapped at his ear with equal playfullness. "We should go. Before the female gets back."_

_The male got to his feet gracefully, stretching out before shaking his coat as I had. "Then let us run."_

_I went first out through the bush, startling a female on the path. She dropped the thing in her forelegs, that my delicate side remembered was called rope and emitted a high pitched sound that hurt my ears._

_I dropped into a crouch and growled warningly at her. I expected her to either warn back or go away, but instead she dropped to her knees and held out a trembling hand._

**_"Zelda,"_**_ she said tremblingly, **"it's me, It's Terri. You don't want to hurt me."**_

_ I tipped my head curiously, wondering what she was doing and what those words meant. Fearlessly, I padded up to sniff her, intrigued by this weird behavior._

_A movement to my left startled me and I whipped around. The human male that I had smelled earlier was charging at me._

**_"Leave her alone, beast!"_**_ he yelled. I dropped into a crouch and growled at the threat, all senses going on high alert. Behind me, I heard the female yelp, **"No, Charles!"**, but I ignored her._

_He charged forward and I leapt, meeting him in midair. He was faster than I anticipated and managed to twist out of the way. I thudded into the ground unexpectedly and twisted, trying to get to my paws._

_Pain._

_The male's hind paw made contact with my side. I yelped and whirled, seizing his hind leg in my teeth and biting down hard. The taste of blood filled my mouth, bitter, but I held on. He snarled and kicked me loose, but I landed on my paws this time._

_Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the male wolf over by the female. She looked terrified out of her mind as he sniffed her. A flash of jealously washed over me and I turned my back on the human to stalk over to the other wolf._

_"What are you doing?" I growled._

_He turned to me, eyes widening. "Look out!" he called._

_I wasn't certain how he had gotten his paws on it, but the male human dropped a length of it around my neck, pulling it tight enough that it was almost a struggle to breath._

_The male wolf glanced from me to the human, then back to female he was still standing beside. He met my eyes._

_"Go," I told him, "they shouldn't catch you too."_

_"I'm not leaving you," he retorted. With that, he turned and took the female's arm into his powerful jaws. I heard the male behind me take in a sharp breath and the two males stared off, human still holding me by the scruff and the rope around my neck, wolf holding the human by the arm._

**_"Charles,"_**_ the female said shakily, **"let her go."**_

_The male let out a gush of air. **"You win, wolf,"** he said. Suddenly, the rope around my neck was gone. The other wolf released the female and she pulled away from him quickly._

_"Let's go," he said._

_I quickly padded to his side, shooting one last growl over my shoulder at the humans who dared to try and hold me prisoner. The male had his arms around the female, who was still quivering. I noted with some satisfaction that he was favoring the leg I'd bitten._

_A wet nose made contact with my side. "Come on, race you," the owner said._

_Without warning, I bounded forward, leaving him in the dust. Yelping, he followed me._

I woke in the shadow of the castle wall, curled against Link. I yawned widely and considered going back to sleep before the events of last night rose to the forefront of my mind.

"Link, wake up," I insisted, shaking his shoulder.

He started awake, instantly on guard, thanks to his journey.

"Do you remember what happened last night?" I queried.

He thought for a second, then a look of realization dawned across his face. "What are we going to do?" he asked.

I never got a chance to reply, because then a guard burst through the bushes surrounding us. "I found them!" he yelled. "Come with me," he ordered.

We had no choice but to follow. The guard led us through castle, up stairs and down passages.

Finally, as we rounded the last corner, I realized where we were going and grabbed Link's hand as an anchor. He glanced at me questioningly, but didn't say anything.

The guards waiting at the doors opened them and we were ushered into the council's meeting room. Every head turned as our little group entered the room.

"Your honors," spoke up the guard, whose name I didn't know, "the Princess Zelda and the Hero Link."

"What is going on here?" I demanded, "Why have we been treated as we were?"

One of the council members stood, taking the floor. "Princess Zelda of Hyrule," he began formally, "a problem has arisen in regards to your ability to rule this kingdom."

* * *

**I thought the last bit was kinda iffy, but let me know what you thought. Next chapter will come quickly, I promise.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Note to self: Never promise faster update in the middle of NaNoWriMo (while double-digit thousand words behind). And getting hooked on this new show Once Upon a Time. And trying to unpack new house. And well, you get the picture.  
**

**RedFox14: According to Midna, normal people, when faced with normal Twilight, turn into wolves, but normal people, when faced with the altered Twilight Zant was using, turn into spirits, however, Link became a wolf in the altered Twilight because he was the Hero chosen by the Goddesses and not a normal person. I really hope that very long sentence clears up any confusion you had.**

**And now, I present to you the last chapter of Wolves. Hope you enjoy.  
**

* * *

The story came pouring out in its entirety, from my very first transformation to attacking Charles in the garden. Link pitched in, confirming what I said.

To my surprise, Charles and Terri also told their stories. The maid told them of how she became suspicious and meeting Charles, how they figured it out together. The footman, who was on crutches, I noted with some regret; told how they tracked followed us to the garden and saw us transform at the moment the moon rose.

After all the stories that could be given, had been given; Link and I were tucked securely into a closet-like space just off the council room while they debated what to do.

"We cannot allow this!" one of the councilors said, loud enough to carry through the door. One of the others shushed him and the voices died back to a rumbling murmur.

I briefly considered changing to a wolf to eavesdrop on them, then dropped the idea just as quickly.

"Come here," Link said, stretching out his arms. I took the few steps separating us and snuggled into his arms, accepting whatever comfort I could get in this place.

"I'm scared," I admitted, "what if they decide I'm a danger to everyone. I want to rule Hyrule, but how can I do that from a prison cell?"

Link slid down the wall, adjusting his arms around me so I was sitting in his lap. "Everything will turn out fine," he assured me.

I stretched up and kissed his cheek softly, thanking him without words for the reassurance.

A butler pulled open the door and called us in. We stood and I seized Link's hand, not wanting to go into this alone. All the council watched us as we walked to the head of the table. I noticed their stares and lifted my chin, concentrating on appearing regal while my insides were churning wildly.

"Have you reached a decision?" I asked them.

One stood up. "We have, Your Highness. Based upon the accounts we have heard, we have come to the conclusion that your transformation is catalyzed by the presence of the Hero of Twilight."

"These transformations cause you to be a threat to those around you. We cannot let Hyrule be ruled by a princess who cavorts about as a lupine. Therefore, you stand with two options. You may abdicate your throne and continue to go through these transformations, or you may continue to rule, on the condition that you are no longer allowed to see the Hero of Twilight."

My jaw fell, but I quickly remembered my position and closed it, pulling a blank mask over my features.

"Might I have time to think on this matter?" I requested, "It carries great weight."

"You may have only until sundown," the man who had delivered the verdict replied, "We must have your decision before the sun sets."

"Very well," I answered crisply, then turned on my heel and marched out of the room.

I barely even noticed that I still had a death-grip on Link's hand until the doors shut behind us and he pulled me to a stop off to the side of the hallway. I tried to jerk away, but he was stronger than me, and tugged me back to stand in front of him.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I have to choose between giving up my kingdom or giving up you!" I snapped back, keeping my voice down so as not to draw undue attention to us, "I have to make a decision that will affect the rest of my life before sundown. How could I possibly be alright?"

"I know you're not fine," Link hissed, "but I didn't expect you to bite my head off!"

"They're right, I am a danger," I murmured, so softly I was surprised when Link heard it, "it would be better for me to not transform again."

"Don't say that," he said, "you're not a danger."

I shook off his hands. "Charles is on crutches, Link, I did that. You took Terri hostage! What would you have done if he hadn't released me?"

"I…" he began, but I didn't let him finish.

"You would have hurt her, maybe killed her," I shot out, "admit it!"

"Maybe I would have," he retorted, "I was protecting you!"

"I can protect myself!" I snapped back. In some corner of my mind, I was aware that the moon was pulling on me, making my temper more acute, but most of me was embroiled in the argument and couldn't care.

"Oh really?" he challenged, "You didn't look like you were doing a very good job of it when Zant locked you in your own tower. Or when Ganondorf had you dangling from the statue in the throne room. Or when you could barely get back to Hylian form. Or when you completely missed that dummy."

"What about when you burst into my room, carrying _her_?" I shot back, "where would you have been had I not healed her?"

"Midna!" Link said, "Her name is Midna! And at least she did something useful!"

I recoiled as if struck. Link's eyes widened as he realized what he'd said. "Zelda," he began, but again I cut him off.

He would not infer I was useless and expect to get straight back in my good graces. "Go home," I said icily.

"Zelda," he tried again.

"No, Link," I said, "go back to Ordon."

He opened his mouth as if to say something, then shut it. "I'll understand whatever choice you make," he said softly.

"Go," I ordered, even if that sentiment made me want nothing more than to pull him close and defy the council. I had to keep a level head, and having him here would weigh my decision.

Link slipped past me and walked down the hall with a soft step. I turned to watch him go, and saw him pause where it turned a corner.

"Zelda," he called back, "if I never see you again… just… Be happy, alright?"

I nodded once, though I wasn't sure if he could see me. Link turned once more and vanished from sight around the corner.

My eyes slipped closed of their own accord and I started forward, catching myself after only a step. Resolutely, I started in the opposite direction, letting my feet carry me where they would.

When I looked up again, I was standing outside the library. Smiling slightly, I pushed open the door. It seemed deserted, everyone else busy elsewhere, which made it perfect. I pulled the Twilight crystal's chain over my head, and murmured the spell as fast as I could without messing up the words.

The crystal gave off its customary gleam, but nothing further happened. Sighing, I set it on the table and collapsed on the chair, letting my head fall into my hands. The tips of my fingers met the jewels that encircled my head and I tugged on the circlet. The slender thing came off easily and I set it on the table.

The jewels in it winked at me, mocking me. I let myself slump down, burying my face in my crossed arms.

"If only I'd been born a commoner, then this would be so easy," I said aloud.

A hand rested on my shoulder and began to rub gentle circles. "What would be easy?" Midna asked.

"The council found out that I can transform," I replied, "and they've decided that Link is the cause of it. Now I have to choose between him or my kingdom."

"Where are they? I'll knock some sense into them," Midna threatened, "they won't cause you any more trouble after I'm through with them." Then her manner sobered. "I know how hard that is," she comforted.

"How?" I questioned.

"Because I had to make the same choice," she answered simply, "between him and my kingdom. Though I didn't break down like you are."

I turned my head to look at her with one eye. The princess of Twilight was wearing an impish smirk, but I chose to ignore both that and her last jibe. "Did you love him?" I asked.

The smile dropped off her face. "I can't," she said.

"But you did," I persisted.

Midna nodded miserably. "But it was a war-love," she told me, "built on the rush of adrenaline and the ring of steel and the stench of blood. So yes, I loved him, but not like you do. I never got the chance to love him like you do."

I felt my face start to turn red. "I don't love-" I began, but Midna cut me off.

"Yes, you do," the Twili insisted, "It's plain to anyone with eyes that you do."

"Maybe not anymore," I muttered, "we had a fight."

"Is that what's got you down?" she asked incredulously, "Zelda, when Link and I met, we fought like you would not believe. I like to think he was won over by my charming personality."

I couldn't help but laugh at her statement. "I think I do love him, but I also love Hyrule," I said, "what should I do?"

"If it were me in your position, I'd be going after him and kissing him senseless, but that's me," Midna answered, "You should do whatever feel right. Go pray to those goddesses you Light Dwellers put so much stock in. Maybe your Nayru will order you to take one path or the other, since that's what you seem to want."

I was shocked, to say the least. Most people respected my position as royalty enough that they would never dare speak like that, and maybe that's part of what Link saw in this Twilight Princess. She had no qualms about telling someone off, no matter who they were. I had a brief flash of pity for her council.

"Thank you, Midna," I said.

She grinned, revealing that fang that had carried over into her imp form. "My pleasure," she responded, and turned off the spell. I watched her slowly fade from this world before turning back to the table. My crown still sat there, taunting me. I glanced out the window, noting with surprise it was barely mid-afternoon. It felt like forever since Link and I had awakened in the garden, even though it had been only this morning.

I looked back at the crown and picked it up, turning it slowly in my hands. Link's voice drifted out of a memory and into my ears.

_ "It looks like you're wearing a crown."_

_"It says Kipissa … which means 'princess'"_

_"I'll understand whatever choice you make." _

_"Just… Be happy, alright?"_

I opened my eyes and looked at the crown once more. Lifting it, I placed it on my head once more and got to my feet.

I didn't need until sunset, I knew my decision now.


	11. Chapter 11

******msfcatlover: Well, she kind of told them that. Maybe if it was Midna, the script would have gone more like that, but it's Zelda, so...  
**

******ImmaWriteABook: that made me laugh so hard. Thank you for the motivation. **

******Alternate ending can be found here: fan fiction . net /s/7666778 /1/  
**

******And to everyone who's reviewed over the course of this story: thank you. Those little comments keep me going when the bunnies are all hiding from me.  
**

* * *

The council looked up when I stormed into the room. I didn't bother going to them, stopping just inside the door.

"Princess, you have made your decision already?" one asked, startled.

"I have," I replied shortly.

"And?" the word was lazily drawled, speaker looking back down at whatever paper he was writing on. He made his opinion of my options very clear, not believing I would choose anything than what I had been born to.

I didn't answer with words. Instead I reached up and pulled off my circlet and pitched it across the room. It hit the table in front of him with a metallic clang. His head shot up so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. The few council members still in the room all froze at the sound. I allowed a feral smile to grow across my face. I'd always wanted to do that.

Hesitantly, he reached out to touch the band of metal. "You are going to choose a commoner over your born duty?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered simply, "I am. And I will be happy there, happier than I would be here." I could have said more, but the councilman was too shocked to say anything, mouth hanging open, and the picture was priceless. So I closed my eyes and opened them as a twilight-colored wolf. The smile grew wider as I turned and I shot forward through the castle. The servants freaked out when I barreled around corners, claws scrapping the floor to keep upright. Any other day I would have felt bad about scaring them like this, but right now I was too giddy with the promise of freedom.

Once I was out of the castle, I ran south as fast as my paws could take me, heading straight for Ordon. The entirety of Faron province blew by beneath my paws, blurring together in my haste to reach the village before moonrise. I could only hope Link would forgive me.

I shifted back as I crossed the bridge and peered into Ordona's spring. To my surprise, the light spirit was there, talking to Link.

"I'm sorry," she was saying, "but I do not know exactly what is causing this transformation or how to reverse it. You may indeed be the catalyst to her transformations, but I cannot tell. All I can deduce is that it is caused by Twilight magic rooted deep within you." Her gaze flitted over his head to meet mine and she added, "both of you."

Link spun around at her words, and his face lit up when he saw me. He crossed the pool in a few quick strides and stopped in front of me.

"You came," he breathed, one hand coming up to touch my cheek so softly it was as if he was afraid I would break or vanish. Absently, I noted that Ordona had disappeared, plunging the pool into swiftly fading sunlight once more rather than her near-blinding light.

"I made my choice," I told him. I would have said more, but he swooped down and kissed me. This was nothing like our first kiss, when he'd been too shocked to do anything, or the second in that abandoned room, that had been fierce and quick, more moon-prompted than us. This was soft, slow and tender, so sweet I thought I might melt. My arms looped around his neck and I kissed him back.

After far too short a time, when oxygen became something my body couldn't go without, we pulled apart.

"Marry me," Link said. When my eyes grew wide with shock, he quickly clarified. "Not today or this week, just say you will, someday."

I cut off his rushed stream of words with a finger pressed to his lips. "I would have suggested it if you hadn't," I told him, "just to make sure the council couldn't find a loophole and order me back."

A grin that was part mischief and part glee spread across Link's face and he pulled away from me to get down on one knee. "Princess Zelda of Hyrule," he began in a formal tone, "the Hero of Twilight requests your hand in marriage. Would you be kind enough to oblige this humble warrior?"

"No," I answered without pause. Blue eyes shot open in shock and I resisted the urge to laugh. Using the hand that was still trapped in his, I tugged him back to his feet. "First, you asked the wrong person. The princess of Hyrule is not here, only Zelda. Second, I will not marry the Hero of Twilight."

"I will, however," I continued, before he could speak again, "agree to marry Link of Ordon, if he will have me."

"He would be a fool to turn you down," Link said.

"So, yes?"

The Ordonian nodded, then stopped, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Hang on, I'm supposed to ask you that!" he exclaimed, "you tricked me."

I pretended to think. "Why yes I did, good sir." I glanced up at the swiftly darkening sky, searching for how much time we had until the moon rose. "You should tell Ordon about being a wolf," I commented, "they have the right to know.

I already did," Link replied, "that was one of the first things I did when you ordered me out of the castle."

"What did they think?" I asked desperately, silently praying they hadn't kicked him out as my council had done to me.

"At first they didn't believe me," he answered, "I had to transform to convince them. Nearly gave made Talo faint from shock when I did so. Once they got over the surprise, Bo banished me from the village for the duration of the full moon. We can come back at noon tomorrow, just to be sure all the effects are gone."

A breath I hadn't realized I was holding rushed out. "That's good news," I sighed.

"How did your council take the news?" Link asked.

A grin spread across my face at the mere thought of the dumb-struck man. "Let's say that a little bit of Midna rubbed off on me," I said, "I wouldn't be surprised if they need to check into the infirmary with chest pains."

"Naughty princess," he scolded lightly, "what did you do?"

"I threw my crown at them," I answered smugly.

Link's blue eyes widened, then he threw back his head and laughed. "I wish I could have seen their faces," he crowed, "oh Zelda. Come on."

The abrupt change in topic took me slightly aback, but I followed as he began to lead me out of Ordona's spring. "where are we going?"

"You always said you wanted to see Hyrule," the hero replied, "so I'm going to show it to you."

I twisted free of his grip and took off. "Race you!" I called back.

I managed to stay ahead of him until Faron's spring. There we stopped, resting a moment to stare into the water. The sunlight was nearly gone now casting the edges of the pool into shadow, and the moon would be peering over the edge of the horizon any second now.

I was turning to face him, about to say something, as the top of the moon appeared over the trees. I welcomed the feeling of changing, even though it interrupted.

I jumped forward, snapping at his ear and yelping in joy as he fled. I gave chase, paws churning up fallen leaves, catching him easily and matching his pace.

For now I just relished the freedom of being a wolf, running with the male I loved beside me.

I would say I loved him later.

We had the rest of our lives for that.


End file.
